Vacation

We're here at my parents house in Florida this week. We drive in yesterday, swung by the airport and picked up my brother, and made it in around lunch time. Last night we went to see "A Christmas Carol", it was mine and Matt's favorite book growing up. The movie was cute and stuck very closely to the actual Charles Dickens novel, which is always nice. Today we had a huge breakfast and now we're sitting in the living room, playing Wii. I'll be taking lots of pictures, but just wanted to post real quickly and say that I am not gone, just busy with the family. Hope you're all having a great weekend and getting ready for the big day!!!

Big News!

I have never said on here our actually amount of Credit Card debt. We only have a couple cards, our MasterCard through our bank, my Ann Taylor MasterCard from when I worked there, and our Military Star (Military Exchange Credit Card). We only ever used one, our bank MasterCard, but boy did we use it! I was so excited and proud when they raised our limit to $8,500 when I was only 21 years old! I can remember thinking "Wow, they must think really highly of me if they'll 'give' me that much money!" WRONG! What was I thinking? They didn't GIVE me any money, but that's how I saw it. It was mine-it had my name on it and I could use it as I wanted. And no, they didn't think highly of me. They were hoping I wouldn't pay it in full so they could charge me interest. And I totally proved them right.

But today, a year after starting my blog and 6 months into our Total Money Makeover I am ready to confess our credit card balance. On the first page of my Money Binder, in a sheet protector is a printed statement from January 20, 2009. The balance was $6,700 and change. Do I need to wait for you to catch your breath? But wait-that wasn't the highest it's been! At one point it was $8,046. That number STILL makes me sick to think about. But why am I confessing today? BECAUSE YESTERDAY I PAID IT OFF IN FULL. Yes! In less then a year, on one income and at the ripe old age of 24 we are credit card debt free.

We were able to accomplish this by making a couple changes. First, in November of 2008 we committed to stop charging things we couldn't pay for. Now, this doesn't mean we haven't used the card, because we have. For example, my brother is in the Navy, stationed in VA and I always help him book his plane tickets. I use my credit card to purchase them and he writes me a check when he gets here, which I then use to pay the credit card. So the key is that even if you use it, to PAY IT OFF. Secondly, we stopped adding to our savings. At first that thought scared the crap out of me. In the first recession of my adult life, I stopped saving money. Instead, I put that money toward paying off that credit card. When I really say down and thought about it, it made complete sense. I was saving money, that was making me 2% interest, which WASTING money by being charged 9% interest on the credit card balance. I was paying up to $50 a month on a finance charge, while making pennies on my savings account. (I do agree with Dave Ramsey though, and I kept at least $1000 in savings at all time for emergencies. We were also lucky enough that David would take short deployments at work, and while gone, he tried to save as much travel money and per diem as possible to put toward our debt. His sacrifice it what made it possible to pay off that card.

I can't put into words the peace I have now that we are credit card debt free. It's a peace that sinks deep into my heart. It's wonderful to make goals for 2010 that don't include paying off a stupid credit card. We can do so much more with our money when it's not going to a credit card company.

Happy First Anniversary

Yesterday was a year since I wrote my first blog! So much has changed for us financially I can't even begin to imagine where we'd be now if we hadn't made the decision to become debt free. And while we still aren't there, we are MUCH closer. In fact, we'll make our last payment to credit card debt this month and start 2010 with only a truck payment. Here are my top 3 things I've learned this year, and what's worked the best for us:

1. USE CASH: I'd heard of Dave Ramsey but never paid much attention to his plan until this summer. I was still hesitant to use a cash only system. In this day and age it seems "old fashion" and inconvenient to use cash instead of a debit card, but that's just not so. Also, from my experience using a debit card is NOT the same as cash. It's just too easy to swipe the plastic, it's painful to hand over tangible cash.

2. BUDGET: My old budget didn't work because I would plan for what I would like to see happen with my money. When I took total control and told my money where to go, I was able to stick to it. (Example: I used to *hope* that I could spend less then $15o a pay period on groceries. With my new budget, I tell myself I *must* spend less this $150 because that's all the cash I have.) It's amazing what you can so when you have to!

3. BLOGGING: And reading blogs. Sharing ideas is the best way to find a budget that works for you. When I feel myself slipping or wanting to have a pity party I read others blogs and get all the motivation I need. So thanks to all the fellow bloggers!

Here's to another year of blogging and reaching new goals!

Christmas Home Tour

I love Christmas. I wait all year long for it, and I start early. David doesn't understand why I start decorating so early and even though I've tried to explain, it's just something he doesn't agree with me on. I justify it by saying that I pay a lot for my Christmas things and I want to get the most out of them. But the truth is that I love to be surrounded by the lights, smells, colors, and emotions of Christmas. I love the glow of a Christmas tree and the joy in Christmas carols. I was blessed to grow up in a happy home where Christmas was special and family was the most important thing. That has carried over into my adult life, as well as the appreciation for those traditions. I love having people in our home to enjoy the season with us. All that being said we finished up our decorations tonight and I have very happy with the outcome. It's our second Christmas here, so we kept things pretty much the same.

My tree is mainly red and gold and some ambers and greens. I like traditional, rich colors and lots of shimmer. I have poinsettia picks stuck in randomly, and I love the look it gives.
I love this little shelf, it's full of all kinds of my favorite things. I think I bought it used about 4 years ago for $50. Probably one of my best finds!



I love the white and black look. This is our upstairs Den, and I like that it can have a different color scheme and modern look, so unlike the rest of my house, without clashing. It's like it's own little living room off of the bedrooms.



This us the entry, I LOVE this picture. I loved it so much that I bought one for my mom, too.

I have more of the outside, but I need to upload them so I'll make another post. Hope you enjoyed our "2009 Home Tour".

11/29-12/5 Menu

Hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time at my parents house. So many laughs and so much good food, but I am glad to be back at home and back to a (somewhat) normal routine.
I have a feeling this week will go by fast. In fact, I think the rest of 2009 will fly by. Here's this weeks menu:

Sunday: Dinner out with friends.

Monday: Taco Pizza

Tuesday: David has Duty at work, I'll have soup and a sandwich.

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken, Rice and Broccoli, Carrots

Thursday: Spaghetti, Yeast Rolls

Friday: Waffles, Bacon

Saturday: FOOTBALL!!! Pizza and Wings

November 15-21 Menu and To Do's

Last week felt so "off" to me. David didn't have to work on Wednesday (Veteran's Day) and we went out a lot with friends to celebrate. Now it's weekend and he's working, so it doesn't even feel like a real weekend. But I guess that's the way it will be from now until the beginning of the new year. With all the holidays, parties, traveling, and work functions time just speeds by. I know for me, it's very important to schedule and make lists this time of year. It's so easy for spending to get out of control with all the business of the next couple months. Last year at this time we were half heartedly following the budget and basically just treading water. What a difference a year makes! So...on to this week!

MENU:
Sunday: Cube Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Monday: Homemade Pizza

Tuesday: Grilled Chicken, Rice, Carrots

Wednesday: Breakfast (Grits, Eggs, Bacon)

Thursday: Meatball Subs

Friday: Beef Stroganoff

Saturday: David has a Motorcycle "Poker Run", so I'll probably have leftovers or a salad.


TO DO's:
This week I need to get my house ready for Christmas decorations!!! And we'll be leaving on the 21st for a week, so I need to get packed and get the house ready for us to leave.

1. Vacuum Baseboards
2. Dust Ceiling Fans and Air Vents
3. Vacuum Truck
4. Return Halloween things to my neighbors house.
5. Organize Office Closet



Have a great week!

Happy Veteran's Day and Happy Marine Corps Birthday

My husband, David, before he left for Iraq in 2007.

"I love the Corps for those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: pride, honor, integrity, and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past." Cpl. Jeff Sornig, USMC

My sister, my brother and I at my brother's Navy Boot Camp Graduation. January 2009

"I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: "I served in the United States Navy""-John F. Kennedy (JFK)